Breeding Discontent

Wraeththu

by Wendy Darling, Bridgette M. Parker

A dark tale set in Megalithica, Breeding Discontent tells the story of Lisia, a hostling in a secret Varrish breeding facility, completely isolated from society and forced to make pearls - new life - on demand by the military. After defeating Varrish rule, the Gelaming uncover the hidden facility, which has been abandoned by its administrators. Only a group of struggling survivors remain, Lisia and nearly two hundred juveniles. Lisia, suspicious and confused by these unfamiliar hara, is fearful of being evicted from the only home and lifestyle he has ever known, as well as losing custody of his charges. Warily, he forms an alliance with the young Lord Swift Parasiel, newly placed in power, and his illustrious hostling, Cobweb. Together these hara work to correct old wrongs, secure new rights, and challenge a liberation that at times feels more like conquest. The past and the present begin to overlap, as Lisia's chilling history is told through the pages of his diary and he struggles to fight for his future, and the welfare of those in his care.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Gay, Science Fiction, Queer

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Wendy Darling is an author and editor who has primarily worked with Wraeththu Mythos fiction but also has experience with non-fiction writing and other genre writing.

Wendy is co-author of Breeding Discontent, published by Immanion Press in 2003 as the first Wraeththu Mythos novel.

Wendy has been involved in Wraeththu and Immanion Press in many different capacities, including editor a number of the late, great Storm Constantine's Wraeththu novels, including Blood, The Phoenix & A Rose, The Moonshawl, and Breathe, My Shadow. She served as webmaster of the Inception and Forever Wraeththu fan web sites, when they were active, and worked a staff at several Wraeththu conventions held in the mid-2000s.

Wendy also co-edited (with Storm Constantine) six Wraeththu Mythos story collections: Paragenesis: Stories from the Dawn of Wraeththu (2010), Para Imminence: Stories of the Future of Wraeththu (2012), Para Kindred: Enigmas of Wraeththu (2014), Para Animalia: Creatures of Wraeththu (2016), and Para Spectral Hauntings: of Wraeththu (2018) and Para Mort: Wraeththu Tales of Love and Death (2020). Each anthology includes one or two of Wendy's short stories.

Her full-time job is as senior social media manager for Emory University, but she engages in many side projects and hobbies, including photography, antique collecting, getting excited about architecture, playing trivia, and snuggling cats.

Reviews

[S. Harrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm stumbled onto this story on the primary Wraeththu fan site and felt it was so in the spirit of her created realm that it deserved to be published proper. The stuff dreams are made of!

Ah well. I did really like it. It is the story of a very minor character who did not figure into the canon plot until the second book of the second trilogy, Lisia. Lisia was one of many secretly selected breeders kept in a facility to procreate with soldiers of a particularly vile Wraeththu tribe to keep their ranks replenished. The thing that makes this book stand apart from the rest, other than it was obviously not written by Storm, is that it deals with the question of the feminine aspect of Wraeththu head-on. The other books did not, and even later when Wraeththu began to understand more about themselves and the divergent other tribe that is originated from human females, there was still very much a masculine dominance. This book lacked Storm's established voice, but it was very well done, nonetheless. It fit into the mythos quite well. I must say that it is riddled with typos, which seemed to originate from poor typesetting rather than bad editing. Also, it is written as a plot in the present inset with flashbacks to Lisia's diary. There was one such inset that seemed out of place and affected the power punch climax the book was supposed to have. It didn't ruin it, it just really would have fit better in a different order. I was also reading it speed of light and didn't want to put it down, so it may well be that I missed some subtle tie-in that made its organization tight, as is.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to fans of the Wraeththu series who feel a need for more after Constantine's two trilogies. The authors make a splendid job of "filling in the gaps" and telling the story of Lisia, a hostling in a Varr breeding facility who has born an incredible number of pearls. Her diary entries take the reader through her harlinghood, her coming of age and lifestyle at the facility, to the moment when Gelaming and Parsic rulers find the place and everything changes. Lisia is a truly loveable character, and this book also includes memorable episodes with Swift, Cobweb and other well-loved characters of the trilogies.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy that I was finally able to read this. It *was* depressing and difficult to read for I'd say most of the book, but then everything got better, even after all the loss that Lisia experienced. I thought that the canon characters' personalities were spot on, except maybe Ashmael, who was a little meaner than I've perceived him in the main books.

Greatly looking forward to experiencing all the other Wraeththu spin-offs in the mythos! ^^

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Events and characters referred to in The Shades of Time and Memory by Storm Constantine, like Lisia appear in this book. I wonder if fans of Wraeththu don’t have Wendy Darling to thank for keeping this unique post-apocalyptic world where this beautiful hermaphroditic race rises from the ashes of humanity alive. I wonder if Wendy Darling didn’t inspire Storm Constantine to return to this world. This didn’t have quite the poetic prose of one of Storm’s books, but it was powerful; conveying a lot of love for Swift and Cobweb; whom I also adore. Hostling and son are bonded again in exploring the ruins and consequences of the terrible deeds of the Varrs, Ponclast, and Terzian…Swift and Cobweb’s own people. The breeding farm for hostlings is one brought to their attention along with its victims and survivors. Lisia, the narrator of much of this book is both.

Too many things were summarized, one particular incident with a mule was far too vivid for me, and Lisia’s moments of triumph were exquisitely beautiful. Much of his tale was tragic, but it made his discovery of his own voice and power all the more poignant.

All in all, this was a welcome addition to the Wraeththu Chronicles; introducing engaging new characters while bringing back beloved favorites; allowing them all to grow together. If you love the Wraeththu world and characters, don’t miss this.